Wednesday, January 26, 2005

Bush's dangerous words

When exactly did it happen? When did Republicans turn into idealists with regards to international relations and when did the Democrats become realists? The Bush inaugural speech laid out a goal that will infuse U.S. foreign policy for years to come.

"Across the generations, we have proclaimed the imperative of self-government, because no one is fit to be a master, and no one deserves to be a slave. Advancing these ideals is the mission that created our nation. It is the honorable achievement of our fathers. Now it is the urgent requirement of our nation's security and the calling of our time."

It also insures that the "War on Terror" will be completely open-ended. By suggesting that terror is the product of tyranny and that, therefore, America will not be safe so long as there is tyranny in the world guarantees that Bush and his ideological mates will always have a fresh list of "enemies of freedom." Bush paints his agenda with idealism. He extrapolates that the founders believed that it was America's role to spread freedom around the world. That is patently untrue. The founder's understood the dangers of becoming deeply involved in international conflict. By ignoring the sovereignty of other nations and trying to instill our beliefs in foreign lands, we are guaranteeing that there will always be a deep well of hatred and resentment against the United States. Read the complete text of the Bush speech here.